A Seal Through Time
by The Cat's Paw
Summary: No one knew that the Shodaime's wife had the habit of attaching seals to her belongings in order to make sure they returned to their rightful owner… Time travel AU, MadaSaku and TobiSaku triangle, Founder's Era.
1. The Kanzashi

**New story! My bigger ones are giving me a headache, so I've been ignoring them for the most part, and just checking out some of my other stuff. Like this! :) This fic is inspired by the Charmed episode, Witchstock, where Paige put on a pair of their grandmother's old boots, and ended up getting zapped into the past.**

 **So anyway, disclaimer that I own neither Naruto nor Charmed, and enjoy, folks!**

 _ **A Seal Through Time**_

 **Chapter One – The Kanzashi**

Tsunade was preparing to leave Konoha, and she was going through everything that she'd accumulated over the time she'd been in the village. That included new belongings, and old, most of which would be packed away and stored. What she was staring at now fell under the 'old' category. Twirling a kanzashi between her fingers, she pursed her lips at the memories it brought up. It had been her grandmother Mito's, one of the things she'd left behind in storage when she'd left the first time, mostly so she wouldn't be tempted to sell it.

Wearing fancy jewellery was never her thing, even at important festivals, official celebrations, and such. So, Tsunade had never felt the need to ever wear it. It was a beautiful piece though, golden double pin with white and purple sakura flowers at the top. A single petal dangling from a delicate chain was the only part in motion as she twirled it.

Something like this… Once, she'd considered giving it to Shizune, but even her pseudo niece wasn't someone who would wear this kind of jewellery. Shizune preferred simple kanzashi, _when she wore them_. No, actually, this piece would be more to Sakura's style. It would be perfect, she knew, for her favourite student (she'd _never_ let that on, though, she was supposed to favour both of her girls equally, after all) to wear at Naruto and Hinata's wedding. Though that was still months and _months_ away, what with the mandatory 'courting period', the wedding planning, and everything else those stickler Hyuuga's would demand.

Decision made, she put it back in its box and put it aside, intent on giving it to Sakura once she'd finished going through everything.

Finally, _finally_ , Tsunade had stepped down as Godaime, and Hatake had stepped up as Rokudaime. In celebration, Tsunade was going on a _long_ holiday, one she felt was well deserved. Shizune was going to come with her, which would end up leaving Sakura in charge at the hospital. The pinkette was more than ready to run it, no matter how nervous she was at the prospect. Tsunade and Shizune had been grooming her for the past year, ever since she'd started making her 'holiday' plans.

A few hours and several packed-for-storage boxes later, and Tsunade was headed over to Sakura's, the box with the kanzashi in a pocket. Once she reached her apprentices apartment, she knocked, waited patiently for the girl to answer, then stepped inside once Sakura had stepped back to allow her access.

"To what do I owe this visit, Tsunade-shishou?" Sakura asked.

"I've finished my packing," Tsunade said. "Shizune and I will be heading out in the morning."

"Right," Sakura said a bit dejectedly, trying to hide it, but Tsunade knew her too well by this point. "I'll still be seeing you off," she added, as if reminding her mentor not to leave without her farewell.

"Of course you will," Tsunade said, placing a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "But in the meantime, there's something I wanted to give you."

Removing her hand and then reaching into her hakama, Tsunade pulled out the box. "This was my grandmothers," she said. "It's a kanzashi, but it's not one that suits my taste, if I were to ever even wear one. I wanted you to have it, Sakura."

Sakura took the box almost reverently. "I… I don't know what to say, shishou," she said, and Tsunade could clearly hear the emotion in her voice.

"Don't worry about saying anything," Tsunade dismissed, then spoke seriously, "Sakura, you've been kind of like a daughter to me over the years, and even though we aren't actually related by blood, I wanted you to have something that expressed that."

The teen in front of her was close to tears, she could tell. "Now now," Tsunade said. "No tears, alright, Sakura? It's not like I'm never coming back, this is just a holiday."

"I'll hold you to that," Sakura sniffed, then launched herself forward and hugged her. "I'm gonna miss you, you know."

Tsunade hugged her back and said, "Come now, let's save the emotional goodbyes for morning, alright?"

Sakura pulled away and nodded, one hand wiping at her tears, the other clutching the box to her. "Alright, shishou," she said. "I'll see you in the morning then."

OoOoO

It had been a few months already since Tsunade and Shizune had left. In that time, Sakura had become better acclimated to running the hospital. Luckily, the staff were excellent, and had no problems taking orders from her. She was so busy these days, that she hardly saw any of her friends socially, mostly only when they came in injured, or on the rare occasion that Ino was able to drag her away for lunch.

"You work too much, Forehead," her best friend declared one day. "You know what? There's a festival coming up soon, and you are _going to attend_. No excuses!"

"But I'll probably have to work!" Sakura complained.

"Hey! I just said no excuses!" Ino reprimanded her. "Look, one day off, or just leaving early, isn't going to kill you. Or anyone in the hospital. Come _on_ , Sakura! You gotta do this for me, not just yourself!"

Sakura sighed. "Fine," she agreed reluctantly. "I'll see about arranging things at the hospital so I can have the time off."

"Yes!" Ino fist pumped. "Now, about what we're gonna wear…"

When the time for the festival came along, Ino brought her kimono, accessories, and makeup all over to Sakura's house. The two were going to spend a few hours just getting ready, and despite the fact that she _knew_ she should be working on that new proposal for the hospital, Sakura was actually looking forward to this. Fresh out of the shower, the two women helped one another put on their kimono, then Ino got stuck into Sakura's hair and makeup.

"So, Sasuke will be there tonight," Ino said conversationally as she pulled at Sakura's hair. "Sai told me that Naruto plans to drag him along."

"Oh, really?" Sakura asked, feeling some butterflies in her stomach.

Once the war had ended, Sasuke had expressed his interest in her. Of course then, he'd ended up in prison, and by the time he was out, the two of them had somehow ended up dancing around one another on the topic of whether or not they would start dating. That was over a year ago, and while nothing _official_ had happened yet, there had been things like lingering touches, meaningful looks, and one rather telling, if brief, kiss.

"Really," Ino said. "You need to step up, Sakura. Sasuke's been _terrible_ at manning up to make the first move. So _you've_ got to do it instead."

Sakura nervously twiddled her fingers. "I'm not sure how to go about that," she admitted.

"How about you just kiss him?" Ino suggested even as Sakura blushed. "Pretty sure he'll get the idea that way."

Once Ino was done with Sakura's hair, she started in with the makeup. The two chatted about nothing the whole while, then swapped places as Sakura did Ino's hair and makeup as well. Once everything was done, Ino pulled out some hair accessories that she intended to wear.

"What have you got, Sakura?" she asked.

"Well, there's something that shishou gave me before she left," Sakura told her friend, going over to where she had been keeping the kanzashi that Tsunade had given her.

Opening the box, she showed Ino, who gasped in awe. "That's _gorgeous_!" she exclaimed. "Where did she get something like _that_? I didn't think this would be her style."

"It was her grandmother's," Sakura said even as Ino continued to sigh over the piece.

"What? Which grandmother?" Ino asked, jerking in surprise. "The Shodaime's wife, or her other grandmother?"

Sakura paused at that. "You know what? I have no idea," she admitted.

"Well, it's gorgeous either way," Ino said. "And it'll go perfect with your kimono."

Sakura's kimono was purple and white. It started lighter at the top, and ended up a dark purple at the hem. The flowers of the kanzashi had some purple on the inside of them that matched the kimono's shade perfectly. Ino tucked the ornament into Sakura's locks carefully, examined it thoughtfully, then rummaged through Sakura's jewellery box, pulling out a comb.

She put that in, then declared, "There! You're done!"

Suddenly there was a wind that whipped up, startling both women. The two of them screeched as they were mussed up, and Sakura heard Ino cursing as the wind attempted to undo her work. Ino gasped then, and yelled something, but Sakura couldn't hear her. She felt some kind of hot glow, then everything in front of her disappeared in a swirl of wind and light.

 **So what did you think? I'm kinda torn on the pairings right now, this is either gonna end up MadaSaku, or TobiSaku, I haven't figured that out yet. A triangle definitely, though. ;)**

 **Reviews are greatly appreciated! :)**


	2. The Newly-weds

**A new chapter! :)**

 **Btw, _NO_. Absolutely not. No three-ways, threesomes, whatever you want to call it. Mostly because I don't ship it, but also because I'm not that great with writing them. Whomever Sakura ends up with, it will only be one of them, and that will be whichever one feels right with the flow of the writing. Though I gotta say, even though I think I like MadaSaku best, I _am_ leaning towards TobiSaku. _But we'll see._ (points vigorously at that last bit)**

 **In any case, disclaimer and enjoy! :)**

 **Chapter Two – The Newly-weds**

This was a day that was supposedly the happiest day of her life, and quite frankly, Mito could see just how that would be. As she stood before the priest in the private shrine, Hashirama by her side, she was trying hard to contain a grin, and hopefully succeeding. She knew a small smile slipped out every now and then, but she worked hard to hold it back. This was a serious occasion, after all. Enough time for her triumphant smiles later at the reception.

Other than the priest, the bride, and the groom, there were also four others. One family member each, for her it was her father, and Hashirama's rather serious brother as well. Their nakodo were represented by an aunt of hers, and rather comically, Hashirama's Uchiha friend. It had been hilarious to watch Hashirama convince Madara to stand in as his nakodo, since it was a spot generally reserved for much older relatives. Madara had said no, Tobirama had said no, then Madara had grimaced and said yes, though Mito suspected it was just because of Tobirama's no.

Whatever worked, it had made Hashirama deliriously happy.

Throughout the rest of the ceremony, Mito focused her attention back on the priest and her new husband. Then once they were done, they headed out separately. Hashirama left with Tobirama and Madara, whilst Mito left with her father and her aunt so she could change into her uchikake.

"A lovely ceremony," her aunt was saying. "And that Senju boy was actually able to be serious for once, quite remarkable."

"Don't be so mean to Hashi-kun, Momoe-oba," Mito scolded. "He's the leader of the village, after all."

"Quite right," her father spoke up. "Now come along, we're almost to the changing room."

Mito and her aunt stepped into the room, even as her father took up guard outside. Momoe helped her out of her shiromuku, and into her uchikake, and helped her to remove then reapply a softer look to her makeup. Once they were all done, Momoe stepped back and gave her a once over, ending it with a sigh.

"You look so beautiful, Mito," she said. "If only your mother could have been here to see you."

"I have you and tou-san," Mito reminded her, and her aunt snorted.

"Sadao has been overbearing the last few weeks," she said. "Be glad he spared that from you, because he made the organiser's lives hell!"

Mito giggled, then snorted in an unladylike manner before saying, "Time to go."

Before they could even move to the door, an unnatural wind struck. Mito let out an involuntary shriek, the door flew open and her father came in, her aunt nearly fainted, and a bright light flashed. Then just as suddenly as the wind had appeared, it disappeared. Once Mito righted herself, she noted that there was _someone else_ here with them now. A girl stood before them, not that much younger than herself, she surmised. She was dressed in a rather beautiful purple and white kimono, with tabi socks, but no geta. Her pink hair, which _instantly_ fascinated Mito, was in an elaborate, yet mussed, style, with a comb and a kanzashi in it. A kanzashi that looked _quite_ familiar.

"What the… who…? How did I get here?" the girl asked, then she saw Mito and her eyes widened. "No way… This is _impossible_!"

The last word was rather high pitched, and Mito refrained from flinching as the girl stumbled backwards, landing against the wall, hand over her mouth in obvious shock.

"Who are you?" Sadao demanded, fingers twitching like he wished he was holding a kunai. "How did you get here?"

Mito's attention was focused on the kanzashi in the girl's hair. She stepped forward, ignoring her father and aunt's warnings to move back. "Where did you get that kanzashi?" she asked the girl.

The hand she had over her mouth released, and came up to warily finger the accessory. "My shishou gave it to me," she said. "It was her grandmother's. Why?"

"May I see it?" Mito asked, hand outstretched.

With a suspicious look, the girl rather reluctantly pulled the jewellery from her hair. Hesitantly she held it out, and Mito carefully took it from her, not wanting to scare her off. Checking it over, she found what she was looking for. A seal, right behind the delicate flowers, marked and worn with surprising age.

"This was mine," she said. "Here, there's a seal I placed, to make sure it returned to me if someone else tried to wear it."

" _What_?"

"What have you been messing with, Mito?"

"How many times have I told you to be more careful with your sealing experiments?"

Three people spoke at once, but Mito ignored all but the pinkette as she released the seal on the kanzashi. "The seal on this is corrupted," she noted. "There's wear and tear, like it's been _decades_ since it was applied. I only ever made them to last for five years, so if this seal really _had_ been on there for decades…"

Three Uzumaki stared at the girl, who seemed to squirm slightly at the attention she was receiving.

"It's not impossible," Sadao murmured. "Our seal masters have looked into it over our history a few times before. Some even had results, questionable though they were."

"But from a _corrupted_ seal?" Momoe wondered. "Only you, Mito, only you."

"This can't be real," the girl was muttering. "I'm hallucinating. Or it's a genjutsu. Actually, that's more believable, though who in the hell did it? Not Ino-pig, I hope, I'll kick her ass for it if she did."

"You're not hallucinating, nor is this a genjutsu," Mito said gently, handing the kanzashi back to the shell-shocked pinkette. "I'm sorry, but the only explanation is that you're from the future, and this is your past."

The girl shook her head defiantly, but whatever response she might have had was cut off when the door was flung open a second time, and three figures burst in, stance ready for a fight.

OoOoO

Hashirama just couldn't get the smile off his face.

"Ah, married life is truly wonderful," he declared.

"How would you know?" Madara spoke. "You've only just been married, you haven't actually _experienced_ married life yet."

Pouting, Hashirama looked to his brother for support, but didn't even find it there. "Come back once the honeymoon phase is over, and see if you still say that," he dead-panned.

Hashirama crossed his arms and pouted even further, before his expression brightened and he said, "Well, at least I _have_ a wife. Just when are the two of you going to settle down, hmm? Can't continue your lineage without a wife, you know. Well, you could I suppose, but then…"

"Shut up," Tobirama interrupted him, even as Madara simply ignored him.

They were already in the small foyer where they were meant to wait for Mito, Sadao, and Momoe. Once they were all reunited, they would be heading over to a reception hall that was generally used for big political celebrations, since it had the capacity to fit in all the clan leaders, the Daimyo or any of his official representatives, and any important civilian figures as well. Everyone else would already be there, waiting on the newly-weds and their bridal party.

"Mito looked so beautiful, don't you think?" Hashirama sighed wistfully. "I'm sure she'll look equally stunning after she's changed, too."

"If you say so," Tobirama said distractedly.

"What is it?" Madara asked, picking up on his distraction.

"There's something… I don't know what it is, just a feeling, but it's coming from the direction Mito and her family went."

"What?" Hashirama asked, instantly alert. "What's happening?"

"…I don't know," was the answer.

There was a bit of silence, then Madara suggested, "Maybe we should check on it? Unless you're just imagining things, that is."

"Just shut it!" Tobirama snapped, then said, "Actually, checking it out might not be a bad idea."

Hashirama worried the whole time they were headed over, especially with how uncertain his brother looked. Normally, Tobirama was more _sure_ of what he was feeling whenever he sensed something, but right now…

"Alright, now I sense it properly," his brother spoke, interrupting his thoughts. "There's a foreign chakra signal right where the Uzumaki's are."

Hashirama and Madara exchanged glances, then all three were off, sprinting to Mito's location. When they arrived, Tobirama burst the door open, and Hashirama saw, to his immense relief, that Mito was fine. So were Sadao and Momoe. But there was someone else there, a woman, and she had a rather confused and terrified look on her face.

Tobirama lunged then, but then Mito was in his way, blocking him, and ordering in a tone that brooked no argument, "STOP!"

What on earth was going on?

 **So what did you think? FYI, the reason Tobirama felt something indistinct that he couldn't identify, is kinda a delay effect. Like in the previous chapter, it took a moment once the kanzashi was in Sakura's hair for the seal to actually activate.**

 **So, reviews are appreciated, and here's a glossary, including the kanzashi, which I didn't do last chapter.**

 _Kanzashi: A traditional Japanese hair decoration, from simple to elaborate designs._

 _Nakodo: 'Matchmakers' for a Japanese wedding, generally older relatives or the like._

 _Uchikake: Japanese traditional wedding dress used for the reception._

 _Shiromuku: Japanese traditional wedding dress used for the private ceremony._


End file.
